France 24: Culture of Hate? Trump’s America and The White House Press Gala Shooting

Even if it’s the act of a “lone wolf”, as first suggested by US President Donald Trump, Saturday night’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner drama certainly did not happen in a vacuum. And just as mass shootings have become commonplace in a United States overrun by firearms, so have attempts on the lives of political figures. […]

The Eternally Radical Idea: AI, Free Speech, And America’s Real Advantage Over China

By Greg Lukianoff and Adam Thierer Cameron Berg, founder and director of the AI cognition nonprofit Reciprocal Research, published a smart essay in The Wall Street Journal yesterday called “AI Is Bound to Subvert Communism.” In it, Berg gets at something many Americans still seem reluctant to admit: China wants world-class AI, but it also […]

Sportico: Anonymous College Athlete Feedback Site Seeks Coach Input, Sans Subpoenas

Davenport University is a private institution in Grand Rapids, Mich., with an undergraduate enrollment below 6,000 students. The school maintains 27 varsity athletic programs that compete in the NCAA’s Division II, where they have mostly languished in national obscurity. Yet a quick Google search leads to a place where the Davenport Panthers have drawn notice, […]

Boston Globe: Mass. Can Sue Meta in Social Media Addiction Case, High Court Rule

In the latest body blow to the social media industry, Massachusetts’ highest court on Friday ruled that the state can sue technology giant Meta over allegations its popular online sites Facebook and Instagram are too addictive to minors. The ruling comes in the wake of major courtroom defeats for the industry in other states. Just […]

The Dispatch: Does Free Speech Have A Future?

Editor’s Note: This essay is adapted from the new book, The Future of Free Speech: Reversing the Global Decline of Democracy’s Most Essential Freedom by Jacob Mchangama and Jeff Kosseff (Johns Hopkins University Press). By Jacob Mchangama and Jeff Kosseff On October 7, 2023, Hamas operatives carried out the deadliest single attack on Jews since […]

EFF: Speaking Freely: Jacob Mchangama

Interviewer: Jillian York Jacob Mchangama is a Danish lawyer, human rights advocate, and public commentator. He is the Founder and Executive Director of The Future of Free Speech, a nonpartisan think tank located at Vanderbilt University. His new book with Jeff Kosseff, The Future of Free Speech: Reversing the Global Decline of Democracy’s Most Essential […]

TechDirt: Free Speech Experts: Jonathan Haidt’s Moral Panic Is As Old As Democracy Itself

By Mike Masnick We’ve been saying for years now that Jonathan Haidt’s crusade against social media and kids is a moral panic dressed up in academic robes, and that the evidence simply does not support the sweeping claims he’s been making. A new piece in the Wall Street Journal by Jacob Mchangama and Jeff Kosseff […]

Wall Street Journal: The Timeless Fear of Corrupting the Youth

From Socrates to social media, society has always worried about protecting the young. But the latest ruling about Meta and YouTube overlooks the upsides of free speech. By Jacob Mchangama and Jeff Kosseff In 399 BCE, Socrates was put on trial before a jury of some 500 of his fellow Athenians. The indictment accused him […]

Fanfan: Freedom of Speech, That Battle That Never Ends: From Socrates to Social Media

By Marcelo Brito Originally published in 2022 with the title Free Speech: A History from Socrates to Social Media, Jacob Mchangama’s work is presented as what his subtitle promises: a global history of freedom of expression that starts in classical Greece and flows into the digital ecosystem. Mchangama, Danish lawyer, founder of the Justitia Idea […]

The Tennessean: Arrest of Nashville Journalist by ICE Fuels First Amendment Concerns

By Angele Latham and Evan Mealins A judge will soon weigh whether to release Nashville news reporter Estefany Rodriguez from custody after her arrest by immigration authorities in early March drew nationwide attention. Immigrations and Custom Enforcement arrested Rodriguez, who works for local news outlet Nashville Noticias, during a March 4 traffic stop in South […]